


Here There Be Dragons

by Evitcani



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Swearing, Taako is a Copper Dragon, background Carey/Killian
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-08
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2018-10-29 11:59:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10853559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Evitcani/pseuds/Evitcani
Summary: Kravitz, Killian, and Carey really need to recover a relic. Too bad copper dragons do their best to thwart those seeking their hoard.The dragon AU absolutely no one asked for, but I thought could be fun anyway.Updates sporadically. If marked as complete, the primary (story) conflict of every "episode" has been resolved.





	1. A Treasure

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dragons in D&D are a bit quirky. Most can and do shape-shift. Some turn humanoid and live the lives of the creatures they pretend to be. 
> 
> All dragons hoard treasure and relics, but the different dragons all have something intangible they collect, too. For copper dragons, which are great hosts, they like to hoard entertainment. They're known for taking willing bards that they like into their hoards and patronizing them for jokes, riddles, and music. They get upset if people don't laugh at their jokes.

The feast was lavish, the wine was good, and the bard was funny. The first two were to be expected; Taako would have been offended had it been otherwise. It was the last of the three that he was watching closely from the confines of the humanoid form he’d taken. As much as Taako wanted this _Kravitz_ in his hoard, he knew the steadfast loyalty of adventurers. 

It didn’t stop him from trying. “My dudes, if this will take some time in the area, I have rooms to accommodate _some_ humanoids.” He smiled over his glass at Kravitz.

“Well,” Kravitz laughed, swirling his wine and looking away. “Hopefully, it won’t come to that. We have a, ah, _long_ dusty trail to get back to fairly soon. We don’t want to bother you for too long. You’ve been gracious enough.” He paused, looking intently at Taako, “ _Really._ ”

Taako leaned forward, looking Kravitz over again. He didn’t much care for humans, but there was _something_ about the man. “If you were a bother, I would have already had you out on your asses, my man,” he nodded, twirling a lock of hair. Kravitz shifted under his gaze, looking flustered. 

Carey cleared her throat, glancing at Killian, then back to Taako. Taako grudgingly redirected his attention. “So,” she started, “this has been a great dinner. I think we can all agree on that. Could you tell us what you know about the relic?”

“Hm,” Taako hummed, sitting back and sipping his wine. He knew exactly where their relic was. Hidden under some piles of treasures deep within his mountain. “Couldn’t say, my dudes. Your intel seems like it’s pretty fuckin’ shitty, tee bee ehch.” 

Kravitz leaned forward, setting aside his wine. “Look, I can tell you’re _absolutely_ lying. Why don’t we try to strike some kind of deal, huh? You’re a copper dragon, so you must like riddles,” he flashed a smile at Taako. 

Taako ran his finger along the rim of his wineglass. He wondered if the human’s teeth were a little sharper than they should have been. “Listen, if you stay here, my dude, I’ll give you _anything_ you want,” he grinned. 

All three of them shifted uncomfortably. Kravitz picked back up his wineglass and took another drink like he needed it. “I’m not quite sure I’m ready to trade my freedom for a ring.” He cleared his throat, glancing at Carey and Killian. 

“Sucks. Yeah, sure, whatever. If you can stump me, I’ll throw a bone your way, my man,” Taako relented, voice dripping with disappointment. He sighed dramatically and looked away. Of course, he’d been expecting the ‘no’. 

Taako wrote the new riddle down once they’d gone to the lair of a chromatic dragon nearby, quietly laughing to himself. At least he wouldn’t need to personally take care of that problem anymore. 

They came knocking on his lair door two weeks later. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the patience for Taako to bake them cookies this time. 

“Tell us where it is,” Kravitz hissed, getting right in Taako’s face. Taako was briefly impressed he’d managed to say it all in Draconic to further press his point. “Carey almost _died_ on your wild goose chase,” he snarled, pointing back at the dragonborn. 

“Well,” Taako drawled, putting a hand on Kravitz’s shoulder and leaning in closer. It made Kravitz take a step back, but the anger was still rolling off him in waves. “I suppose you’ve done me a good turn, bubala. Have to admit it was a good goof, right?” 

Kravitz huffed out a sigh, visibly forcing himself to calm down. It was cute, especially for a human. He forced a laugh, glaring daggers. “Yeah, it was _really_ funny. Especially the part where I was sprayed with acid.”

Taako frowned, stepping back. “Well, if you don’t like my jokes, my dude -,” he started.

“No! No, it was _very_ funny. We’re all just a _little_ stressed out right now,” Kravitz smiled and laughed, more genuinely. “We all had a good laugh about it after we were all almost murdered.” 

Carey grinned too wide, nodding in agreement. Killian grimaced, whispering, “Ha.”

Taako looked at his nails. They were lying, but the fact they were all trying hard to force stilted laughter and smiles was good enough. “Right,” he smirked. “Last I heard, the queen of the fairies had it.” 

They looked at each other and shuffled off. Taako was more than happy to have some petty revenge taken care of for him. He pulled the relic out of its hiding place, preparing for them to storm the gates of his lair this time around. 

It only took a week. Taako didn’t even have the time to put on his face before Kravitz stormed past his doors, snarling. He pointed at Taako, too livid to even form words, huffing out puffs of cold air. That was enough to send Taako into a tizzy, rolling onto his back and roaring with laughter. He glanced back over at Kravitz and howled louder at his stupefied expression.

This was one of the best jokes he’d ever managed to pull over a group of adventurers. 

There was only a brief time for Taako to soak in his success. “You have got to be -,” he heard Kravitz shout. Taako looked over at the human, laughter turning to nervous titters out as he looked up and up and _up_. 

An ancient silver dragon pressed its snout right up against Taako’s, hissing in Draconic, “I’m going to hurt you.” 

For a moment, Taako thought his heart might have stopped from sheer terror. This was certainly an older dragon. Even within his own lair, Taako was still on the edge of being considered ancient and could be grievously harmed in a fight. His mind caught up and he glanced wildly around the room, looking for an escape; then, he stopped, looking back up carefully. It didn’t take a genius to see the dragon had replaced the bard.

The witty, funny treasure Taako had instantly wanted for his own. Perhaps, Taako couldn’t sway an adventurer, but he certainly stood a chance with a _dragon_. 

He said the first thing that popped into his mind, “Are you single, handsome?” 

The dragon took a step back, staring at Taako in disbelief. “I literally just indicated my desire to cause you bodily harm. Seriously, what _the fuck_ is _wrong_ with you?” 

Taako rolled over and stood up, puffing out his chest and stepping closer. “So, you _are_ single. As it turns out, I am, too,” he said casually. Taako knew he was a fine dragon. 

“Well, this isn’t how I thought this would go at all,” Kravitz mumbled, regretfully. He took another step back and shrunk into his human form. “I know you have the relic. Give it to me before Carey and Killian catch up. Then, I won’t destroy your _entire_ lair.”

“Nah,” Taako smirked, plucking the relic from its hiding place. Before Kravitz could start yelling again, Taako continued on. “We both know I have the home field advantage, especially when you have two humanoids to protect. Listen, you promise to come back here tonight, we have a little wine, we have a little chat, dragon-to-dragon, and I’ll drop this in your pretty claws.” 

“I -,” Kravitz started. 

“Kravitz,” Carey called, close to the gates. 

“And I won’t tell them your little secret,” Taako grinned. “I know how you silver dragons love playing human.”

Kravitz glanced around, scratching the side of his nose. “ _Fine._ ”

Kravitz snuck out of camp that night and came to Taako’s lair as promised. To Taako’s delight, he seemed to have a good time. He came again the next night. Then, again, a week later. 

Several years later, Carey and Killian weren’t sure how to even begin asking Kravitz why a dragon was his plus one to their wedding.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This stemmed from a conversation about if Angus was a dragon. Then I made a joke about a dragon AU and, well, here we are. 
> 
> For those curious this is a list of each metallic dragon and what intangible thing they hoard:
> 
> \- Brass: Conversation; will knock people out and bury them up to their necks if ignored.  
> \- Bronze: Fighting/Warfare; helps in any nearby battle that fights for good.  
> \- Copper: Wit; covets companionship above all else.  
> \- Gold: Privacy; eats wealth and will unerringly stick out pretending to be an animal to help lost travelers.  
> \- Silver: Stories; believe they must do good deeds, not root out evil, and rarely seen in their dragon forms. 
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little thing.


	2. A Nest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no self-control, the chapter. 
> 
> Time for more necessary information about dragons to understand this without me awkwardly expositioning it into the plot!
> 
> Despite appearing to be reptiles, dragons are actually better described as a feline. How cats move, walk, and perceive are the same as dragons. The different species can be best seen as a different type of cat. Coppers are best described as house cats, while silvers are more like lion. 
> 
> There's wild variation in size and behavior for each type of dragon. Copper dragons are the second smallest, making Taako around 160,000 pounds (~72.5 kg) (About the weight of 13 African elephants) and while they can reach heights (from fore-claw to the top of their head) of 12 feet, Taako is closer to 9-10 feet and wingspans of 80 feet. Coppers are built to run away and are excellent climbers. Their favorite tangible treasures are precious metals and ceramics (note that with the pet names, "ingot", "teacup"). 
> 
> Silver dragons are the largest dragons. Kravitz is closer to 22 feet (about as tall as a two story building) in height with a wingspan of 150 feet. Silver dragons are strong and sociable, weighing in at 1,280,000 pounds (~580,600 kg) (a little less than 2 Boeing 747s). They like fashion and jewelry. This is one of many reasons Kravitz prefers being a humanoid. Also, they love trying new food and will eat literally anything (dragons can and do eat stuff like gold and gems, even). 
> 
> Oddly enough, the only thing dragons hate/won't eat are sweets.

Being an ancient dragon was a study in how to stave off boredom. For Kravitz, this meant he rarely returned to the tower he’d long since made his own. Considering his wealth sat firmly in books and scrolls about music, he seriously doubted anyone would be interested enough to incite his wrath. Instead, he led full lives following would-be heroes disguised as a bard. 

This lifetime had, so far, been eventful; his newly acquired love life notwithstanding. No, it was mostly his so-called _friends_ that pushed him to what he considered polite limits. For example, suggesting they adopt a boy detective. “You cannot be serious,” he protested weakly. 

Noelle gestured at the boy trying to be as unassuming as possible, “Look, he’s a smart lil kid, ya’ll! We can’t jus’ leave ‘im to fend for himself. I know you wasn’t there, Krav, but he done us a good turn back in that village.”

“Regardless of what good he’s done us, we lead _incredibly_ dangerous lives,” Kravitz held up his hands, looking between the three women. “He’d, quite honestly, be better on his own.” 

“For poachers to nab,” Killian frowned, shaking her head. 

Kravitz’s brow creased in confusion, glancing down at the boy, “Poachers -?”

Carey glanced down at the little boy and put a hand on his shoulder. “Show him what you showed us, Angus,” she said encouragingly. 

Even with his suspicions raised, Kravitz still took an involuntary step back when the boy erupted into a silver wyrmling. His eyes widened; he’d been expecting a particularly smart young dragon heading towards adulthood, but a wyrmling who could change his shape was well beyond _clever_. The boy shifted back almost immediately. “I’m a dragon, sir,” Angus murmured, shoulders up defensively.

Noelle put a hand on his shoulder. “Ya did good, Angus,” she said reassuringly.

“We were thinking,” Killian started, looking at Kravitz intently, “about that dragon you brought to our wedding.” 

Kravitz crossed his arms, fingers drumming against his skin as he glanced between Angus and Killian. He had been quite lucky they hadn’t really asked so much as left it up to him to tell about his wedding guest. “What about him?” The gears in Kravitz’s head were already turning.

Carey took over, “Angus is only a few months old, maybe you could ask your, uh, _friend_ to help us make sure we take care of him proper, dude. He’s a sweet kid.” 

“Yeah,” Noelle added cheerfully, “Tips and tricks and I’m sure we can get on fine.”

Kravitz gave them all a flat look. “He’s not a dog. He’s a _dragon_. We can’t keep him.” His face softened when Angus’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “Why don’t I take him to my friend? It’s better for him to be raised among his own kind. None of you three can teach him how to find a lair or the best places to hunt, I’m sure.” 

Noelle frowned, putting her hands on her hips. “Krav, are you even sure another dragon will take ‘im in? Aren’t dragons real territorial?”

“You’re thinking chromatics. Silver dragons like Angus usually live together in small, tight-knit village with their families. It’s rare for them to live,” Kravitz paused, smiling at his friends weakly, “on their own.”

“You sound like you know a lot about dragons, sir,” Angus said brightly. Kravitz smiled down at him more genuinely. 

“Well,” Killian snickered, “he’s quite the dragon _expert_.” She glanced at Carey who giggled.

“Yeah,” Carey teased, “Bet he gets a crash course every time he _visits_.” Killian gave her a high-five. Kravitz felt his face heating up, glaring at them. 

Noelle shook her head. “I still don’t understand how _that_ works, ya’ll. You said dragons can shape-shift, but -.” 

“ _Please_ ,” Kravitz rubbed his temples. “There is a literal child.” Angus looked between all three, bewildered. 

Noelle smacked a hand over her mouth as Carey and Killian lost it. 

Some more muttering and he was stepping through a teleportation portal with the boy into the main chamber of the lair. This visit was only going to be more awkward given that Taako had been hibernating for the past three years. 

“Isn’t there a saying about sleeping dragons, sir?” Angus murmured anxiously, staring at Taako with wide eyes. Kravitz glanced down at the boy. It was easy to forget that Taako wasn’t all that small to someone at Angus’s age. Also, given that the boy had revealed he’d been abandoned outside a lair, Taako was the first grown dragon he’d ever seen. 

Kravitz nodded, patting Angus on the head. “I have a way, so make sure you stay back against this wall.” Angus stepped back, pressing against the wall. Kravitz almost mistook his intent stare for fear, but he quickly realized the boy was studying the lair and Taako himself. “First lesson, Angus,” he breathed, “don’t reveal another dragon who hasn’t revealed themselves. Don’t tell Carey and Killian.” 

He leapt forward as a dragon, shifting uncomfortably. The lair was slightly too small for someone of his size. He turned his head back to make sure he hadn’t scared Angus too badly, but the boy looked excited. Kravitz grinned down at him, “Second lesson, don’t wake up another dragon unless you’re willing to face the consequences.” 

When he turned his head back to Taako, Taako was already glaring back. “Go away,” Taako grumbled, closing his eyes again. 

“Taako, I need to talk to you,” Kravitz persevered, nosing at the side of Taako’s face. Taako swiped at him weakly, curling away. “Taako,” Kravitz insisted, shaking him gently. Taako rolled further away. “I wouldn’t wake you up unless it was important.” Kravitz hefted himself onto the hoard of baubles, stepping back down when it gave a concerning groan. Taako turned further away, nestling in the corner, wings up. “Dear,” he warned, sitting down. Taako put his wings up higher, but otherwise didn’t move. Kravitz rolled his eyes and sent a puff of freezing air down into the warm pile of metal trinkets. 

“Fuck!” Taako snarled, climbing up the wall to get away from the cold, glaring down. “You’re a fuckin menace,” he growled, frills puffed up and tail swinging like an angry cat. He kept up a litany of swears as he pried his claws free of the stone, dropping down next to Kravitz and shoving at his side uselessly. Kravitz kept his mouth firmly closed to stop himself from laughing. Taako curled up against his side, sticking his cold claws against Kravitz. “If this is a booty call, I swear -,” he muttered darkly. 

Kravitz shook his head and turned his attention back to Angus, who had both hands over his mouth, shaking with laughter. “This is Angus, love,” he said as cheerily as he could. Taako looked at him suspiciously, then turned his attention on Angus. “Killian, Carey, and Noelle ran into some trouble while Noelle was visiting her family. He helped them, but he’s a ah,” Kravitz paused, considering his next words carefully, “he’s a wyrmling. Angus, this is Taako.” He gestured for Angus to come forward. 

The boy smiled at Taako nervously, holding out his hand, “I-it’s nice to meet you, sir.”

Taako looked at Angus flatly. Kravitz glanced back and gave Taako an expectant look. Taako sighed, leaning forward and shaking Angus’s hand with one, long claw. “Good to meet you, too, kiddo.” He stepped back onto the platform, looking at Kravitz. “Is this show n’ tell at Taako’s pad or what?” 

“Well, ah, Taako -,” Kravitz started, laughing awkwardly. “Didn’t you hear me? He’s a wyrmling. A wyrmling who can _shapeshift_.” He smiled more confidently at the spark of interest in Taako’s eyes. “He figured it out all on his own, too.” Taako swung an intent gaze on Angus, stepping halfway off the platform to look more closely. Kravitz shrunk down to his human form, stretching on top of the hoard.

Angus took a couple of steps back, looking unsure of himself. He stepped right into one of Taako’s bookshelves and it teetered dangerously. Taako leapt forward to steady it, but a vase at the top crashed to the ground and broke. Kravitz winced, covering his face with one hand. “Oh,” Angus whispered, staring at the broken ceramic in horror. “I’m so sorry, sir! I-I can fix it,” he squeaked, hunching his shoulder and staring at the mess.

Taako huffed a cloud of noxious gas from his nose and shot a glare at Kravitz who smiled back sheepishly. “Don’t sweat it, Agnes, I can cast mend -,” he growled, reaching out his claws to cast the spell. 

The spark of magic wasn’t Taako’s. It was clumsier, the pieces sliding together like a jigsaw puzzle in slow motion. Angus puffed out his chest proudly and picked up the fixed vase, handing it to a shocked Taako. He adjusted his little glasses. “I hope I did it right.” He smiled at Taako nervously, who spun the vase over in his front claws, sitting on his haunches. He stopped suddenly, looking between the vase and Angus. Kravitz crossed his legs and watched them, smiling to himself. 

“Good job, but not not quite there, compadre,” Taako drawled, tossing the vase across the room. Angus reached out as if to catch it, both he and Kravitz flinching when it crashed against the ground. “Try it again.”

Angus frowned at it, glancing at the glass then at Taako. “Are you sure this is a wise use of spell slots? I’m only a little boy, so I don’t have very -.” 

Taako grinned, sitting forward. “It had a scratch.”

Angus drew himself up. “No it didn’t! In any case,” he paused, shoulders dropping as he considered it. “Well, that’ll make more, sir,” he persisted. 

Taako picked up another vase and tossed it across the room. “Huh, lotta scratches, you’re right,” he smirked. Angus opened his mouth, speechless. He looked back at Kravitz for guidance, who only shrugged in response. Then, he concentrated on the first pile, sparks starting to swirl around the mess. It pulled together again, but even Kravitz could see it’d gone together wrong. Angus stared at his shoes, looking on the verge of tears. “Still a scratch. It’s like you’re not even trying,” Taako complained as he tossed the vase against the wall again. 

“Taako,” Kravitz scolded. Taako rolled his eyes at him and shrugged. 

Angus huffed, glaring at the vase as sparks of magic started again. Taako tapped him on the shoulder, stopping him. “Don’t concentrate on making it whole, concentrate on where the pieces want to go,” Taako instructed.

Angus blinked back at Taako, then concentrated on the broken vase again. Kravitz bit his lip to keep his smile from getting too wide. The vase slipped together more seamlessly and Angus ran over, turning it over excitedly. This was going a lot better than Kravitz had thought it would. “Hey wait,” Angus exclaimed, running his fingers over the vase. His face dropped into disappointment. “There’s still a scratch.” 

“Listen, bubala, there was always a scratch,” Taako snickered, rolling onto his side as he laughed.

Angus glanced at the vase, letting out a forced laugh. Then, he dropped it and it shattered on the floor. Taako sat up, alert. “Oh no, sir,” Angus gasped, wide-eyed. He cast a spell that brought the vase together in shambles. He exclaimed again at another swirl of magic as the vase turned to wood, “Oh geez! That was such a good joke that I lost control for a moment. Unfortunately, I’m also out of spell slots. Too bad, that spell can only be undone perfectly by the original caster.” Taako stared, absolutely stunned. Angus pursed his lips trying not to laugh.

Kravitz lost it, falling back against the hoard. Then, Taako’s composure failed him, too and he roared with laughter. Angus joined them, hidding his face behind his hands as he laughed. Once he’d managed to calm down, Taako slithered next to Kravitz, snickering, “You think that’s funny, handsome?” 

“No-o,” Kravitz smirked, still laughing. “What’s funny about seeing you get what you deserve every now and then?” 

“Alright, alright,” Taako grinned. “Now, seriously, you didn’t bring him here to change my interior decorating, babe. What are you up to?” 

Kravitz’s smile faltered, looking up at Taako seriously. “He doesn’t have a home, love,” he said softly. Taako stiffened and he saw Angus take a step back from them out of the corner of his eye. “I was thinking -,” Kravitz started to plead. 

“Nope,” Taako interrupted, rolling over and climbing back onto his hoard. He started burying himself under the ingots. “No kids.”

Kravitz carefully picked his way over to where Taako’s eyes glared out from the pile of treasures. “Taako, he’s an orphan,” he tried to reason. “His egg was abandoned,” he didn’t say, ‘ _like you and your sister_ ’, but Taako could see it. Kravitz leaned away from the noxious fumes drifting up from Taako’s nostrils. 

“Fuck off.” Taako’s eyes disappeared under the hoard. 

Kravitz rubbed his temples, breath coming out as puffs of cold air. “ _Fine_.” He started working his way down from the hoard when a claw nabbed him by the back of his tunic. He stopped, crossing his arms as Taako resurfaced behind him. 

“Where are you going?” 

“To start a family _without_ you, Taako,” he snapped, turning around. “Five years is life or death for him. It’s nothing to us.” Taako clasped his claws together in front of himself, glaring down. Kravitz glared right back up. “It isn’t like we haven’t _talked_ about this. I thought, with you -,” he cut himself off, sliding off the platform. 

He heard the clatter of metal as Taako scrambled after him. “Talking, handsome, _talking_ is a lot different than catapulting straight past eggs to a baby wyrmling,” Taako said, with a desperate edge to his voice. “I wake up from a nap for you to spring this on me! I didn’t think babies were on the table for at least another half-millennia.” 

“Sorry that this is inconvenient for you, Taako,” Kravitz hissed, glancing around. “He’s a _child_. He needs a home safe from -.” He stiffened, sucking in a breath.

Taako wrapped humanoid arms around him, hugging him from behind. “Listen, ingot, give me some time to -.”

“Dear -.” Kravitz tried to pull himself free.

“Shut up a minimum, let a dude talk,” Taako interrupted, annoyed. “This is kinda a big step, my man. I mean, what if we fuck up? Istus, we could _kill_ him,” his horrified tone would have made Kravitz laugh if he wasn’t struggling to pull away without outright shoving Taako off of himself. 

“Taako, Angus isn’t here anymore,” he said urgently. 

Taako froze, looking around. “Oh, fuck, this is _exactly_ what I meant.” He leapt away in his dragon form, tongue flicking out as he turned in circles to search the area. “Shit shit shit, what if he runs into a trap,” Taako mumbled to himself as he tried to find the trail. 

Kravitz looked under anything that looked like it could hide a small child. Unfortunately, that was most of the things in Taako’s lair. “Angus,” he called. Taako made a chittering noise, nosing around a pile of rugs, still muttering about all the ways the boy could’ve died. Kravitz was starting to panic, breath coming out shallowly, hands shaking. This was far too familiar. Desperate, _in the rubble_ , for any sign of life, _but only blood and broken and nothing_. 

“Aha!” Taako’s triumphant shout made Kravitz start so badly that he twisted around as a dragon in time to see Taako dart off down one of the tunnels. 

Kravitz chased after him, but wasn’t nearly as quick to navigate the narrow passages. Sliding around a corner, he caught sight of Taako curled in a ball on the ground. For a moment, his breath caught in his throat, _too late, years too late to make a difference_. He vaulted forward, the ground cracking under his feet as he landed, shaking bits of rubble from the ceiling. 

He trotted in place with anxious energy, nosing Taako’s shoulder. Taako rolled over, sticking out his tongue. “Bleh,” he panted, Angus curled safely in his claws. 

Kravitz staggered, closing his eyes as relief washed over him. He collapsed next to them, the ground shaking again as he dropped. Then, he curled around Taako, sheltering them under one of his wings.

“All the gods,” Taako swore, “Fuckin’ do _not_ run off, Angles. My lair is _not_ baby-proof.”

“I’m sorry, sirs, that seemed to be a private conversation,” Angus apologized, squirming out of Taako’s grasp and sitting on the ground between Taako and Kravitz. “I didn’t mean to make you worry. It felt rude to listen to you, uhm, talk about me, sirs.” 

“Hey, hey, what’s with the waterworks, bubala?” Taako exclaimed. Kravitz shifted, but wasn’t quite able to see Angus around Taako. 

He _could_ hear the loud sniffles. “I-I’m sorry about the vase. I understand if you don’t - it’s okay to send me back. I shouldn’t have gotten my hopes - I’m sorry, I don’t know why I’m crying, sirs,” Angus babbled. Kravitz’s heart broke in the silence.

“Hey,” Taako said sternly. “No decision has been made yet. Lemme see you as a dragon, teacup.” There was some more sniffling, then Kravitz could finally see some of Angus. Taako shifted, standing up under Kravitz’s wing. Kravitz blinked when he heard Angus squeak. He folded his his wing against his side, staring at Taako in shock. 

Taako glowered, daring Kravitz to say anything as he carried Angus by the scruff of his neck back into the tunnels. He took the wyrmling all the way back to the hoard, Kravitz trailing behind a few steps as he squeezed through the passages. Taako jumped onto the hoard effortlessly, digging a semi-circle out of the gold while holding Angus carefully. Eventually he finished, setting Angus in the center and curling around him.

Angus recovered from being carried, wiggling under Taako’s wing. “What -?” 

“Third lesson, Angus,” Kravitz laughed, settling to where he was halfway on the platform and halfway on the cave floor. Taako stretched towards him so they could put their heads together. “Dragons shouldn’t question their parents until they’re old enough to have a lair of their own.” 

After a bit more excitement from Angus and embarrassed grumbling from Taako, Kravitz fell asleep in the simple comforts of family for the first time in a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> From an anonymous prompt on Tumblr that hit all of my weaknesses:
> 
> "Hey there, I read your little fic about the dragon AU and let me tell you it was amazing. I'm not sure if you're still accepting prompts, if you aren't I apologize for bothering you. Prompt: Either Krav or Taako find Angus, most likely a young silver dragon smart enough to morph, and attempt to care for him. Or alternatively he finds them and they have no idea he's a dragon until something makes him revert back to his dragon form. You can choose to do whatever you like. You're a great writer"
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed this impromptu dragon update.


	3. A Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wrote this chapter on May 7th 2017 and never published it. I haven’t touched it since May 19th, 2017. After a lot of debating, I decided to go ahead and publish this. 
> 
> Please enjoy!

A home that lasted wasn’t too much to ask for. Now that he knew the word home beyond something he saw through a window, Angus didn’t know how he had gone without. That was a scary thought.

 

After the first few days there, both his parents had spent most of their time in their humanoid forms. Though, Taako stayed as a dragon when he was busy scratching away at the lair to make it larger for Kravitz to comfortably live in. This was fine with Angus; he had never truly gotten over his anxiety about someone finding him as a dragon. Even with two parents who could easily crush anyone who threatened him, he still feared what poachers could do. 

More than poachers, Angus feared becoming too content with having a home. He kept waiting for them to grow bored with being parents. Certainly, Taako and Kravitz had breezed past a honeymoon stage in a month and a half with a petty disagreement over their sleeping arrangement. They tried to keep their voices hushed so Angus wouldn’t hear, but sound traveled in the lair. The one thing Angus did not need to strain to hear was Taako shouting, “Well, maybe I’m not ready, Kravitz! Did you ever think of that?” 

He was already packed when Kravitz came in with a hard look in his eyes and told Angus that Taako needed to be alone for a few days. His baba said it would be the two of them, plastering on fake cheer about a hunting trip up the mountains that were too cold for Taako. Still being too small to make the entire journey, Kravitz had carried him by the scruff of the neck to the top of the mountains. 

Angus woke up with a start when Kravitz dropped him in a snow drift. He popped his head above the snow, staring around in amazement. The world seemed to drop off past the wonderland. He wiggled free as Kravitz stretched, pouncing on Kravitz’s tail. It was less to play and more to distract himself from thinking too hard about why why they were here. Kravitz moved swiftly, prancing away through the snow banks, laughing. Giggling and hopping from footprint to footprint, Angus chased after. 

Kravitz paused when his claws broke through ice and Angus managed to jump on top of his tail. Kravitz winced and stood still while Angus climbed onto his back, settling at a stable spot between his wings. He turned his head to look back at Angus. “Was carrying you up here not enough, Angus?” Angus ducked down in embarrassment. “It’s fine, I’m joking. Do you know how to swim?”

There had been enough lakes where he hatched for Angus to figure out some dragons are born with an innate instinct for swimming. Still, he wasn’t sure it was a good idea to swim in ice cold water. He’d read plenty of stories about how bad that was. “I can, sir, but I don’t think this is the best idea -.”

Before he could finish his sentence, Kravitz jumped and Angus learned that there was a reason his feet were webbed. He spent the rest of the afternoon chasing little fish or taking a break on Kravitz’s back. Kravitz was content to float around the water aimlessly, occasionally eating ice. 

When they climbed out of the water, Kravitz grinned at Angus’s attempts to shake the excess ice off his scales. “Hold still,” he instructed. Angus saw more than felt Kravitz using his claws on the ice. “In my village, we used to leave some of the ice on and decorate it with dye.”

Angus tried to look back at what Kravitz was doing, but couldn’t quite see. Little chunks of ice and loose scales dropped to the snow. He wanted to ask Kravitz about his village, but it seemed like something wrapped in thorns. Kravitz dropped his claws back down and Angus shook himself, feeling the weight gone. “Thank you,” he said cheerfully. 

Kravitz smiled down at him, then started off towards a system of caves. Angus hopped after him, moving from footprint to footprint. “Now, Angus,” Kravitz sounded like he was going to teach Angus something important. “The thing you’ll notice is that there’s not much here in the way of food. It’s why we’re not picky eaters.” He stopped by a boulder and swiped at it, easily crushing it. “If we can’t go somewhere else to hunt, we eat rocks.”

“Rocks,” Angus replied slowly, picking up a pebble. 

Humming in agreement, Kravitz grabbed a larger pebble and ate it. “Gold dragons _only_ eat treasure. After stealing some of Taako’s snacks, this seems less far-fetched to me,” he said simply, looking down at Angus.

Angus ate the rock. It didn’t taste like anything in particular. Kravitz was, at least, right that this was a lot less strange than sharing hemlock dipped in vials of poison with Taako. This didn’t make his tongue feel numb afterwards, either. 

After dinner, they found a cave to sleep in. Even if Angus didn’t mind the cold, it was nice to curl under Kravitz’s warm wing and a comfort to know he was safe. Still, he didn’t sleep well. He kept waking up to check that Kravitz was still there. He always was, seemingly lost in thought and oblivious to Angus being awake. 

Never once during the night did Angus catch Kravitz looking anywhere but longingly and regretfully to the path that led home. 

In the morning, Kravitz woke Angus up by nudging him. Angus curled in a tighter ball, trying to worm under Kravitz’s stomach in hopes he’d be allowed to sleep longer. Kravitz stood up and Angus was immediately whipped by the cold. “Baba,” he complained, trying not to whine. 

Kravitz laughed and stretched as Angus stumbled to his feet, yawning. “Come on, Angus, it’s rude to make another dragon wait in their own territory.”

Angus blinked and looked out of the cave entrance. Another silver dragon sat patiently, watching them. They weren’t quite as big or old as Kravitz, but they gave off an air of command that made Angus stay under Kravitz’s feet as the two of them approached. 

“Good morning,” Kravitz greeted cheerfully, but Angus could hear the hint of caution. “I apologize if we intruded into your village’s territory.”

The other dragon eyed them both, face softening as their eyes flicked over Angus. “Good morning. I do not mind, but there is a copper past the tree line who is quite fickle. I am Lucretia,” she greeted. 

Kravitz tensed, making Angus cower down. “Lucretia? Lucretia of Gillian Veil?” He didn’t sound angry, but disbelieving. 

Lucretia’s rose to her feet, looking at Kravitz suspiciously. “Yes, though Gillian Veil has been gone for a long time, now. Since I was young.” 

“Lucretia, it’s me - Kravitz,” Kravitz said, excitement coloring his voice. He practically bounced forward, circling her, leaving Angus hiding in the snow. She was speechless, blinking rapidly. “I came back and everything was -. I didn’t know anyone survived!” Angus now recognized what the tension had been, that he had been holding himself back from getting his hopes up.

Then, they were humans, wrapping each other in a hug and crying. “My mother and I -,” she started, wiping at her face. Angus decided to simply watch, feeling like he shouldn’t be seeing such a close moment. 

“Is she still alive?” Kravitz interrupted, pulling away. 

Lucretia laughed softly, smiling. “Yes, she’s fine. My father, though, he -.” She shook her head and Kravitz frowned. “We were away when they attacked, selling cloth for the village. We couldn’t give any of them a proper funeral. We were scared they’d come back, so we ran with what little we could save.”

Kravitz nodded slowly, looking away. “Do you know if my parents or my sisters -?” He cut himself off. 

“I’m so sorry, Kravitz, but the first place we checked for survivors was the nest. Your family always -. They were there. We found no survivors,” she said softly. 

Kravitz nodded again and gave her another hug. “Thank you for telling me. I knew that was likely, but -.” He paused and took a deep breath. “I killed them all, Lucretia. Every single chromatic who attacked our village. I’ve spent my life doing it.”

Lucretia nodded. “Good,” she said fiercely. 

“Actually, it was the copper past the tree line who gave me the location of the last, purely by accident, but -,” Kravitz cut himself off and looked at Angus, still watching from a pile of snow. “Angus, come over here,” he smiled. 

Angus turned into a human and approached cautiously, holding out his hand to Lucretia. “Hello, ma’am,” he greeted. 

Lucretia took his hand, smiling down at him. “Who is this?”

Kravitz put a hand on Angus’s shoulder, “This is my son, Angus. Angus, this is my cousin, Lucretia. I suppose that makes her your cousin, too.” 

Well, that made a few things make sense. Angus smiled up at her more genuinely. It had felt strange to have parents, but it made him feel warmer being introduced to _family_. “It’s very nice to meet you, ma’am.” 

“My mate is the -,” Kravitz laughed and scratched the side of his nose. “Well, the copper past the treeline is named Taako. He’s, ah, mine.”

Lucretia smiled and patted Kravitz on the shoulder. “I’m glad you’re making your own family,” she said sincerely. “Still, I wish it had been with someone who didn’t make quite so much trouble for me,” she added plainly. 

Both Kravitz and Angus laughed nervously, neither surprised. 

They spent the next few days in Lucretia’s village. Her and her mother had found another to call home, but it was small. Only a handful of people were present, but there was another wyrmling for Angus to play with in the snow while a rotation of adults came to supervise. 

It was fun, but eventually Kravitz grew homesick and they returned home with promises of visitations to come. 

Angus was surprised that he felt relieved to be _home_ when Kravitz sat him down at the lair entrance. They made their way into the main room to find that most of the hoard was gone. Angus was surprised, but Kravitz seemed to be upset.

“Taako,” he shouted, eyes roaming the room, panicked. “Taako!”

Taako hurried out of one of the deeper tunnels, looking concerned. He was in his humanoid form, holding a staff, long ears twitching. Gold was suspended above his head with magic. “What -?” He didn’t have time to finish before Kravitz grabbed him in a hug, covering his face in kisses. Angus made a face and looked away. “Come on, come on, ingot,” Taako laughed. “You big baby, I missed you, too.”

Angus occupied himself with staring at the remaining amount of trinkets in the hoard. Which is exactly how his parents surprised him by wrapping him up in a hug. 

“Missed you, too, teacup,” Taako murmured. “Had to carry all this gold by myself when I could’ve made you do it.” Angus laughed and hugged Taako back tighter. 

He really wanted to keep his home and his family. 

It turned out that Taako had moved the hoard to a bigger cave so they could all sleep comfortably, including Kravitz. While Angus wanted to spend time with Taako, he knew his parents needed some time to talk. He spent the rest of the day in the library. 

At night, Kravitz and Taako came to find him. They sprawled on a rug where the hoard used to be, Angus snuggled between them on a nest of pillows. Kravitz read the book Angus had picked until his head started to droop. 

Taako carried him to the new nest and Angus enjoyed being buried under both his parents’ wings. He used their joined claws as a pillow. 

Three months passed. Every night, they would read together before bedtime. Taako carved a fireplace out of the wall to keep them all warm. Angus treasured these moments. His parents had never fought quite so badly again, but once a month Kravitz and Angus would go to the village for a few days. Angus knew it was to take a break from each other. He liked visiting his friend in the village, but it made him wonder when Taako would get tired of them forever. 

Which is why Angus knew he couldn’t directly bring up that Taako’s choice in ears when he was in his humanoid form.

Taako’s disregard for what an elf should look like set him on edge. Still, he knew he was lucky to have parents at all. It worried him that he might offend his dad and that would be that. He’d be out, with no warm hoard to sleep in or dad to teach him magic Angus could never dream of or baba to read to him from books in languages Angus had never seen. 

Before their upcoming visit to Kravitz’s keep, he felt like he _had_ to somehow tell Taako that his ears belonged to a rabbit, not an elf. The ears would be a dead giveaway something wasn’t right when they were around normal people, who didn’t know either he or Taako were dragons like Carey, Killian, and Noelle did. 

Like any problem Angus had, he devised a plan. It started with a book about bunnies. 

He brought it to his baba as they all settled on the rug in front of the warm fireplace. Angus knew the book was childish, something far sillier than what he usually had Kravitz read. He’d seen it hidden under a pile of other books when he’d searched the library for anything on rabbits. Taako leaned against Kravitz’s arm, ears perking up as he smiled down at the worn book. “Hoo boy, what a blast from the past,” he murmured, touching the cover. 

Angus snuggled between them as Taako grabbed the book, all of them laying against a nest of pillows. Kravitz tugged a blanket over them, watching Taako flip through the pages fondly, “What is it, love?” Angus tried not to make a face. It had only been a few days since their last trip and Angus had noticed Taako and Kravitz were more affectionate with each other afterwards. Sometimes, it was a little much. He hoped that he didn’t grow up to be that sappy. 

“This was me n’ Lup’s favorite thing when we were wyrmlings like teacup,” Taako grinned and turned, ruffling Angus’s hair. Angus felt his cheeks warming under the glow of pride in his dad’s eyes. He didn’t feel like he had really earned it. 

“O-oh, that’s nice, dad,” he smiled nervously.

Kravitz leaned over and kissed Taako on the cheek. “Why don’t you read it for us tonight?” 

It was the funniest story time yet. His dad and Auntie had long ago replaced the names of the two characters, a brother and sister, with their own. It somehow made the story better to imagine his dad tricking a gang of pirates out of their treasure map or his aunt Lup scaring off bandits by pretending to be a bear. Taako knew how to do all the voices to perfect effect and roped Kravitz into doing funny accents for the villains. 

Angus woke up with a start, having no recollection of falling asleep. He must have woken up at some point, considering he was curled between both his parents in the nest of trinkets as a dragon. He peeked beneath their wings to find them asleep, noses touching. Wriggling free from under their wings, Angus changed back into a humanoid and went to his own room, rummaging through his things. 

This plan involved Angus’s rarely used sewing skill. He pulled out the sewing kit his baba had given him and some woolen fabrics. By the time he heard his parents calling him for breakfast, Angus had made a plush shape that approximated a rabbit. 

His dad paused at the doorway, smiling at Angus curiously. “What do you have there, pebble?”

Angus yawned and held out the bunny for Taako. “It’s a bunny, dad. I gave it ears like yours,” he smiled, hoping it sounded like sincere enthusiasm. 

Taako took it, turning it over in his hands. “Oh, I thought it was a dog, but four outta ten, Anglo,” he grinned, ears twitching with what Angus knew was amusement.

The toy was clearly a rabbit, at least in Angus’s expert opinion. Angus snatched it back, frowning down at it. “No,” he protested, “What kind of dog has ears this long, sir?”

“Dunno,” Taako drawled, leaning against the doorway casually. “I’m more of a mongoose man myself, my dude.” 

Kravitz popped his head into the doorway. Glancing down at Angus’s hands, he smiled brightly at the little rabbit, “Oh, that’s a nice bird, Angus.”

“It’s actually a rabbit, baba,” Angus corrected, looking down at his creation again. He was, suddenly, quite self-conscious of how it had turned out.

“Oh,” Kravitz said quickly, “Yeah, I meant bunny.” He laughed, it sounded forced. “I was, uhm, thinking about birds a moment ago. You know, the ones that come out, in, ah, the _morning_.”

“You mean regular birds,” Taako interjected, snickering.

Kravitz plastered on a smile, “Freudian slip, you know how it is.” Taako covered his mouth not to laugh as Angus gave them both exasperated looks.

Angus tried not to become discouraged. He still had one more plan. It started with hunting rabbits after breakfast. 

Taako stretched as they changed at the mouth of the cave, scratching his claws against a well-worn boulder. Angus did the same, even though he didn’t get tired of being humanoid like Taako did. Taako snorted, nosing the side of his face. “If you get tired of being human, you can always change. You can’t crush your baba or me yet, Agnes,” he laughed softly. “I was thinking we’d go to that nightshade patch we found yesterday and chow down.” He started to grab Angus by the scruff, but Angus evaded, ducking down. 

“Sorry, sir,” Angus said quickly as Taako huffed, annoyed. “I wanted to try catching rabbits today.” 

Taako tapped a claw along the mountainside as he considered. “I don’t really like killing small animals. Insects? Fine, but rabbits,” he trailed off, looking at Angus thoughtfully. “Maybe we should get your baba for this one, teacup,” he said suddenly.

Angus shook his head, he had wanted to try to politely point out the similarities. “No, dad, it’s okay -,” he protested. 

Taako had already changed and was heading inside. Kravitz emerged a moment later, shifting into a dragon. “Your dad said you wanted to try to hunt rabbits. I was going to try to convince you to try deer,” he smiled, voice gentle. “We’re not exactly known for being _fast_ , locket.” Angus nodded slowly, putting on fake cheer. 

His last plan had failed. It also ended with Angus spectacularly failing to catch anything, despite Kravitz’s best attempts to cheer him on. He’d ended up almost crashing into the ground each time, only for Kravitz to swoop in and save him. Once, his baba had also managed to grab a deer at the same time. Angus had some scrapes and bruises, as well as a feeling that he was simply not built for hunting. 

“Angus, don’t beat yourself up,” his baba soothed, picking up another bundle of nightshade to bring back to Taako. “I have centuries of experience. You’re only just learning.”

Angus picked at the nightshade, sighing. “Baba,” he started quietly, “why does dad wear rabbit ears? When he’s human, I mean.” 

Kravitz blinked, then laughed loudly, covering his cheeks. It was dead easy to see he was embarrassed. “Well, uhm, Angus, it’s uh -. It sort of started as a joke,” he laughed, quickly gathering more nightshade. “A few years ago, now. It was something Killian said, but I guess it’s not important.” He paused for a moment, looking over at Angus. “Is that what the sudden obsession with rabbits has been about?” 

Angus fidgeted, hopping from foot to foot. “Yes, sir,” he murmured, staring at the ground. 

“You know you can ask, Angus,” Kravitz smiled, walking over to put a hand on Angus’s shoulder. “Is something worrying you?”

“What if someone figures it out?” Angus blurted before he could stop himself. “Then, poachers will -! I’ll be _alone_ again, sir!” 

Kravitz blinked as Angus hugged him around the middle. His hands fluttered around Angus’s shoulders. “Angus, it’s alright,” he soothed, sounding uncomfortable. “Poachers wouldn’t - Poachers won’t try to hurt two full-grown dragons defending their son. They’re not that stupid. Usually.” Angus kept crying, not at all soothed by Kravitz’s words. “B-besides, Taako only wears them like that at home.”

Angus sniffed, scrubbing at his face. “Exactly, sir! Poachers wouldn’t hurt parents with their son, but just a little wyrmling? Pl-please don’t tell, Taako, sir. I don’t - I don’t want to be just a little wyrmling on my own,” he sobbed. 

“Oh, Angus,” Kravitz murmured, squeezing his shoulder. “As long as either of us are alive, you won’t be. You’re our son,” he offered quietly. “We love you.”

The way he said it like it was obvious made Angus’s heart feel like someone was squeezing it, but he wasn’t sure it was a bad feeling. 

Angus calmed down and they finished picking nightshade for his dad. His baba made soft jokes until he had Angus laughing. They went home to find Taako swearing and sucking on a finger in the main chamber. He was standing in front of a slightly rattling box covered with a cloth. 

When he heard them, he spun around and put his hands behind his back, smiling at them. “Back so soon!” 

Angus was sure he was hiding something. “It’s almost sunset, dad,” he said pointedly, trying to peek behind Taako. Taako kept shuffling in his way of getting a good look. 

“Oh, oh, no, is this the -,” Kravitz cut himself off and tried to catch Taako’s eye, shaking his head. 

Taako seemed oblivious. “Guess so,” he said too loudly and cheerfully. “Teacup, we have a surprise for you.”

“Taako -,” Kravitz interrupted, setting his basket down.

Taako hushed him, laughing and waving a hand. “Let me have this one thing, babe,” he was still cheerful, but it was more of a hiss. Kravitz rolled his eyes as Taako turned and pulled the cloth off the box, presenting it for Angus, “Tada!”

It was a rabbit in a cage, munching angrily on lettuce as it glared at Taako. Angus ran over, sitting on the ground to look at it. “It’s so cute! Is it mine?”

“Yeah, she’s yours, pumpkin. You’ve been really into rabbits lately,” Taako laughed. “Your baba and I thought it might be good if you had a buddy to play with. You gotta take care of her, though, every day. Seriously,” he added, failing to sound anything but excited. “She has a bigger hutch, this was just to get her here.” 

Kravitz slowly walked over and put an arm around Taako’s waist. Angus thought he heard whispering, but was too distracted holding out his hand and letting the bunny sniff at it. “Can I hold her?”

When he turned around, Angus noticed Taako’s ears had shrunk down to a normal elf’s. Taako’s ears still twitched slightly. Taako started to nod, but Kravitz shook his head, “Sorry, Angus, she needs rest. She’s had a big day already. Why don’t we try tomorrow?” Taako huffed, but mumbled something approximating an agreement.

Angus nodded enthusiastically, following the two of them as they took the cage to the hutch. He peppered every other sentence with a question or an exclamation. They barely got him to calm down enough to go to sleep, mumbling tired answers about rabbit care into the late hours of the night. Angus didn’t know this, but Taako and Kravitz wouldn’t have it any other way. 

It didn’t escape Angus that Taako had set an expectation for _every_ day. Every day with his family and home.

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to follow my [Tumblr](https://evitcani-writes.tumblr.com/) or [Twitter](https://twitter.com/Evit_cani).


End file.
